Hundreds of thousands of needy people cannot be reached by aid workers

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns about an impending humanitarian catastrophe in South Sudan. "Hundreds of thousands of needy people in the South Sudanese states of Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile cannot be reached by aid workers due to the fighting and the beginning of the rainy season," said Ulrich Delius, the STP's Africa-consultant, in Göttingen on Wednesday. "The situation has become especially bad in the state of Unity, were about 40 percent of the almost 600,000 residents have fled from the fighting. Tens of thousands of people are on the run in the region around the town of Bentiu alone. The conflict parties must immediately respect the ceasefire agreement which was signed on January 23, 2014, to prevent a mass extinction."

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held a telephone conversation with southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir, asking him to respect the ceasefire agreement and to allow humanitarian supplies for the civilian population. Toby Lanzer, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, called for an immediate compliance with the ceasefire too. "Both the South Sudanese army and the rebels groups around Riek Machar have started new military offensives," criticized Delius. "The international community must urgently enforce the ceasefire and punish any violations of the agreement."

No only does the fighting lead to a critical security situation and limit the humanitarian aid workers in their actions, it also has immediate consequences for the civilian population. "With the beginning of the rainy season, the streets will become increasingly impassable, impeding relief efforts. The refugees will only be able to receive aid supplies if they manage to reach an emergency reception center. However, this will only work out if the ceasefire holds," said Delius.

About 1.4 million people of South Sudan are already dependent on humanitarian aid. "Also, the number needy people will rise if the fighting continues and if the local farmers are unable to work on their fields – for if the next harvest fails too, there will be even more need for aid supplies for the civilian population. "More than 1.2 million southern Sudanese have fled from the violence since December 2013. Almost 300,000 of them have sought refuge in neighboring countries, more than 920,000 sought protection in other regions of South Sudan.

Ulrich Delius, head of STP's Africa department, is available for further questions: Tel. 0551 49906 27 or afrika@gfbv.de.